Electric cigar lighter



May 5, 1925.

E. C. ALLEN ELECTRIC CIGAR LIGHTER Filed Jan. 4, 1924 15110671151? EQgar C. Jill/672 W M a] (Zigya Patented May 5, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,536,049 PATENT OFFICE.

EDGAR O. ALLEN, OF ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB OF ONE-HALF TO ROGER L KNUTSSON, OF ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS.

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Application filed January 4, 1924. Serial No. 684,288.

To all whomz't may concern:

Be it known that I, EDGAR C. ALLEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rockford, inthe county of Winnebago and State'of Illinois, have jnvented a certain new and useful Electric Cigar Lighter, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates generally to cigar lighters and more particularly to an auto- I 1o matically operated electric cigar lighting appliance.

One object of the invention is to provide a lighter which is automatically energized when turned into a position approaching the vertical.

Anotherobject is to provide in a cigar lighter a mercury switch for automatic operation of the lighter.

Still another ob'ect is to provide a simple construction for t e whole which may utilize a standard electric cigar lighting unit.

Still another object is to provide a construction adapted to combine 1 therein a simple replaceable mercury switch. a A still er object is to provide a housing for the cigar lighter to hold the same in an im rative condition when not in use. In t e accompanyin drawings, I have illustrated a ci ar lig ter embodying my invention. The 'ghter is attached to a suitable electric cable which may be wound upon a reel as might be required when used in an automobile. V

In the drawings, the figure illustrates a cross sectional view of a cigar lighter in its housing showing all the essential parts of the device.

Generally, the embodiment of the invention which is illustrated in the drawings comprises a cigar lighter and a housing and reel therefor,the whole being adapted for use in an automobile. The reel is shown mounted within the housing in front of the dash to keep it well out of the way when not in use.

In the drawings, 1 illustrates the dash sion 7 thereon directed downwardly away drawn from its housing, held in an upwardly inclined position in the hand, whereby it is energized automatically, and then returned to its housing, the reel -3 being arran ed to take up the slack of the cable 9.

T e 1i hter comprises in this instance an elongate casing 10 which fits into the tubular portion 7. In the present instance, the casing 10 is of metal and of uniform diameter along its entire length, the forward end being provided with a curved shield 11. The other end of the casing is provided with a cap extension 12 which is removable in order to secure the cable 9 in roper relation to the various elements witliin the easing. A plug 13 of insulation -material is secured into the end of the casin 10 and extends beyond'the same to provi e a head upon which the cap 12 may be placed. Within the lug are suitable terminals to which the ca le 9 is secured. In the present instance, these are designated generall by the numerals 14 and 15 within the bod; of the plug 13. One of these terminals is connected electrically to the casi 10 by suitable means as a screw 19 whic serves also to retain the plug 13 in the casing. The other terminal is maintained insulated from the casing for connection to the cigarhting unit throiggh the mercury switch be ore alluded to. or this purpose I provide within the remaining portion of the casing a yieldable contact 1 a mercur switch '17 and a lighting unit 18, the atter mounted in the end of the casing within the shield 11. The yieldable contact serves to hold the parts mechanically alined in mounted position and to furnish the requisite pressure for good electrical contact.

The 1i hter is designed to use a standard renewab e lighting unit 18 such as may be purchased in the market, but any other suitable construction may be employed. The

lighting unit shown has a cylindrical plug base 21 which serves as one contact to the resistance element of the lighting unit. The base is provided with diametrically opposite pins or projections 22 which fit into bayonet slots 23 in the casing 10; The tip of the lighting unit contains a coil of resistance wire 24, one end of which connects with the base 21 and the other end of which connects with an axial contact 25 on the base.

The mercury switch 17 is a unit structurally independent of the remainder of the apparatus. It lies between the base 13 and t e lighting unit 18 and serves to control the flow of current to said lighting unit. In the form herein shown the mercury switch 17 comprises a casing having axial contacts 26 and 27 at opposite ends thereof. Each of these contacts has a pin 28 and 29, respectively, which pass axially into the switch casing, the pin from the contact 26 at the lighter end being longer and extending nearly to the shorter pin 29 which barely projects into the chamber of the switch. A globule of mercury 30 serves to bridge the .gap between the pins when the cigar hghter is tilted to a position approaching the upright.

If after withdrawal from the guide 7 the cigar lighter be left hanging on the dash, the circuit is broken, inasmuch as the mercury will be in what is then the lower end of the switch and thus out of position to bridge the gap between the contact pins 28 and 29.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination of an inclined tubular support formed of insulating material, an

elongated metallic casing adapted to be inserted into said tubular support and be supported thereby in an inclined osition, an electric resistance element carried by said casing at the end which is lowermost when the casing is in place in said tubular sup ort, means connected to the other end of t e casing to conductcurrent thereto, and a' mercury switch in said casing to close a circuit through said resistance element when the first-mentioned end of the casing is uppermost and to break said circuit when said end is lowermost.

2. The combination of an inclined tubular support, an elongated casing adapted to be inserted into said tubular support and be supported thereby in an inclined osition, an electric resistance element carrie by said casing at the end which is lowermost when the casing is in place in said tubular support, means connected to the other end of' the casing to conduct current thereto, and a switch in said casin for automatically closing a circuit througfi said resistance element when the first-mentioned end of the casing is'held uppermost and to break said circuit when the casing is inserted into said inclined tubular support with the first-mentioned end of the casing lowermost.

3. A cigar lighter having, in combination, a tubular casing, an insulating member in one end of said casing, an axial contact in said member, electrical cords leading to said a contact and to said casing", a mercury switch fitting in said casing, electrical contacts axially located in each end of the mercury switch, said contacts being arranged within the switch to be bridged by the mercury to close the switch, a lighting unit removably mounted in the end of the casing, and an axial. contact on said unit, the second contact of said unit being made with the casing, the circuit being completed throu h the axial contacts in the mounted position of the lighting unit.

- 4. A cigar lighter having, in combination,

a casing, a yieldable contact within said casing insulated therefrom, a removable mercury switch in said casing, said switch comprising a casing having contacts extending thereinto from each end, one of said contacts being in communication with the yieldable contact, a removably mounted lighting unit in the end of said casing, a contact thereon adapted to engage the other contact of the mercury switch, mountin means for the lighting unit adapted to hold said contacts in fixed en agement against 1 the resiliency of the yielda le contact.

5. The combination of an inclined tubular support, a casing adapted to be inserted into said tubular support and be supported thereby in an inclined position, an electric resistance element carried by said casing at the end which is lowermost when the casing is in place in said tubular support, means connected to the other end of the casing to conduct current thereto, and a gravity switch in said casing to close a circuit through said resistance element when the first-mentioned end of the casing is upper- ,most and to break said circuit when said end is lowermost.

6. A cigar lighter having, in combination, a casing, a lighting unit in one end thereof, electrical conductors at the other end thereof, a yieldable contact member within the casin-g at one end, and a mercury switch resiliently held in the casing between said member and the oppositeend of the casing.

7. A cigar lighter having, in combination, a casing, a spring pressed electrical contact member at the bottom of said casing, a mercury switch fitting said casing having one contact thereof touching the spring pressed member and having another electrical contact at the o posite end, a lighting unit mounted in the end of the socket against the last mentioned contact of the mercur switch. y

8. A cigar lighter having, -in combination,

a casing, an electrical contact at the bottom thereof, a mercury switch in the casing having contacts at each end thereof, a lighting umt at the outer end of the casing having a contact at the inner'end thereof, all of said contacts being in mechanical and electrical alinement, one of them being spring pressed against the adjacent contac V 9. An electric cigar lighting outfit comprising, in combination, a casing, a mercury switch therein, a lighting unit in one end thereof, electrical conductors to the casing at the other end, said mercury switch being located between the lighting unit and said electrical conductors, a housing,- reel for v a said cords mountedin the housin said housing located between the lighting unit and said electrical conductors, a housing for said casin said housing having an opening therein through which pass the cords, the opening being adapted to receive the cas ing in its inoperative position, and means within the housing to take up the slack of the cords.

11. The combination of an inclined tubular support, a casing adapted to be inserted into said. tubular support and be sup orted thereby in an inclined position, an e ectric resistance element carried by said casing at the end which is lowermost when the casing is in place in said tubular sup ort, a flexible conductor connected to the other end of the casing to conduct current thereto, a reel arranged to draw said conductor up through said inclined tubular support, and a gravity switch in said casing to close a circuit through said resistance element when the first-mentioned end of the casing is uppermost and to break said circuit when said end is lowermost.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto affixed my signature.

EDGAR c. ALLEN. 

